Amanda Lovelee: Homecoming

Courtyard A

Artist and programmer Amanda Lovelee presents Homecoming at MASS MoCA, an immersive outdoor exhibition designed to remember a deeper connection between humans and nature, while playfully addressing the urgency of climate change that is causing plants to migrate. The project envisions MASS MoCA as a symbolic micro field station for two trees to participate in an assisted plant migration residency – a red oak from the southeastern U.S. and a red oak from our local region (ancestral homelands of the Muhheaconneok, Mohican people, or Munsee Lenape people). They are placed in proximity to each other, in city planters, to communicate and share volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Central to this installation are custom-designed bleachers to watch two trees grow, and witness the time scale shifts of more-than-human beings. Joyful programming, pep rallies, and performances are planned to cheer on these trees while they participate in MASS MoCA’s assisted plant migration residency. This project is a symbol for plant resilience and an example of human intervention in, and care for, more than themselves.

Homecoming is in collaboration with plant scientist, artist, and educator Jessica Gersony and members of the PLACE (PLant physiology, Art, and Community Engagement) Lab at Smith College.